Welcome to TCC’s newsletter where we share professional learning insight, highlight our community, and keep you in the loop about upcoming events.
CONNECTION AND QUALITY RELATIONSHIPS ARE AT OUR CORE
Connections and quality relationships are foundational to the success of any organization, particularly in the education sector. These relationships influence not only the organizational climate but also significantly impact student outcomes and the overall effectiveness of educational practices.
Start the year strong thinking about The Heart of Learning: Connection and Relationships and let us know what you’re doing to cultivate meaningful connections.
Youth Blog – Posts for Children
Linked here you will find a brief article written to support children in thinking about the importance of connection and relationships and how they build both.
Celebrating Connection: The Power of Friendships and Relationships
BUILDING LEARNING PARTNERSHIPS IN THE CLASSROOM
With summer winding down, there is no better time to remind ourselves that in the classroom, “quality learning partnerships start with creating a culture of belonging in which the cultural strengths of students… are honored and valued as true partners” (Bloomberg, et. al., 2022). To honor and value the cultural strengths of our students, we must first discover who our students are as people and as learners. This can be done by conducting student interviews with questions addressing preferred learning style, perceived learning strengths, feelings regarding school and learning, personal passions, interests, values, and culture. Use and adapt these interview questions.
Taking the time at the onset of the school year to explore the identities of your students is imperative to creating a healthy classroom learning environment in any and all grade levels.
For more great tools like this one, check out Amplify Learner Voice through Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Assessment.
LEARNER-CENTERED LITERACY
Learner-centered literacy revolutionizes reading and writing education by empowering every student to take charge of their learning journey. Our approach is rooted in the Active View of Reading Model, seamlessly integrating decoding, language comprehension, and self-regulation skills. We partner with schools and districts to co-create inclusive, vibrant learning environments in which every voice and background is valued. Educators plan and deliver explicit, evidence-based instruction in reading and writing, ensuring that each student develops the surface and deep skills and concepts they need to transfer what they learn to any situation. Students engage in culturally responsive formative assessment and pedagogies, through which they cultivate key habits of learning, learn to navigate the metacognitive cycle, and grow their identities as self-empowered learners who have agency both in and out of the school context.
This month we wanted to highlight two blogs that we are confident will help you in your literacy journey. First, we focus on strategies for improving fluency. Fluency Fun: 3 Strategies for Reading Success outlines how you can make clear connections to students’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds as well as their interests and strengths to support students’ development with accuracy, rate, and expression. In our second reading, learners are empowered to help themselves and each other. Use Reciprocal Reading: When Students Lead the Way to engage students in a reading comprehension strategy that demystifies what readers think before, during, and after reading, develops collaboration and communication skills, and prepares them to take on increasingly complex texts with and without partners.
Find out more about how you can transform literacy learning into a dynamic, student-centered adventure here!
MAYO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SOUTH CAROLINA
This month we want to highlight the success of Mayo Elementary School in Mayo, South Carolina. We were introduced to this wonderful school through our partnership with Spartanburg District 2 and are grateful to have been their learning partner for the past few years. Check out their recent case study to find out how they improved learning, and test scores, by focusing on student ownership of learning.
ERIK LEPIS, MICHELLE STONE, KIRSTEN WIDMER
The Core Collaborative is thrilled to have brought on a team of three remarkable consultants who have a history together. Erik Lepis, Michelle Stone, and Kirsten Widmer have years of experience deepening literacy learning working directly with students as well as supporting teachers and leaders. Their passion project, Informational Writing Mini-Lessons | Guide for Flexible, High-Impact Instruction | Professional Development Book for Educators supports elementary writing with clear, practical lessons for composing, revising, and editing.
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY – AUG 12
Since 2000, The United Nations has commemorated International Youth Day annually on August 12th. International Youth Day raises awareness of social and legal issues impacting youth across the globe, celebrates youth empowerment and engagement, and invites youth to take an active role in impacting the future.
This year’s International Youth Day theme, From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development, highlights the benefits of technology and affirms the digi
tal divide that persists. Viewed largely as “digital natives,” youth are positioned to leverage technology to catalyze change and devise innovative solutions, which is what is needed to meet many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
For more information, visit the UN site for International Youth Day.
Our team is recommending a few easy-to-read picture books to honor the potential, creativity, and spirit of young people worldwide. We hope you will share one or more selections from “Celebrating International Youth Day with Children’s Literature” with the young people in your lives.
Palm Springs, CA
Excellence Through Equity Conference 2024:
Breaking Barriers Takes ALL of Us
Springville, UT
Revolutionize Your PLCs with Impact Teams
In partnership with BYU-Public School
Lake Placid, NY
SANNYS 2024 Annual Conference
Elevate
View more upcoming events at thecorecollaborative.com/events.